Enhanced Malabsorbtion and No Carbs

Munchkin said:

We hadn't considered St Patrick's Day. We will have to discuss it. Maybe we will have a corned beef sandwich.

I guess I sort of stopped thinking of it as a holiday because of the pandemic. We went out last year because we thought it would be our last chance because they were going to close everything down. And they did!

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Did you have the DS in Minnesota with Buchwold or whatever his name is there? Because if so I have a friend who had it done there with him and she had a really hard time losing and keeping it off. She was thinking of getting resleeved but I suggested she come to TX and see about having the diversion part revised with Dr. Ayoola’s but then the pandemic hit. She has no vitamin deficiencies and is not at all consistent with vitamins. So something is up.

I am sorry that your weight is such a means of great pain for you.

Webmommy said:

Did you have the DS in Minnesota with Buchwold or whatever his name is there? Because if so I have a friend who had it done there with him and she had a really hard time losing and keeping it off. She was thinking of getting resleeved but I suggested she come to TX and see about having the diversion part revised with Dr. Ayoola’s but then the pandemic hit. She has no vitamin deficiencies and is not at all consistent with vitamins. So something is up.

I am sorry that your weight is such a means of great pain for you.

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I agree with you completely. My surgeon was Buchwald and he is now retired. I think he is in his 80's. This is just MY opinion but over the years/decades I have run across more than a few of his patients who are just like me. No vitamin/mineral deficiencies, never lost all the weight, and great difficulty keeping it off.

It has taken me decades of extreme dieting to even get close to a normal BMI. And honestly before I had surgery, I did decades of extreme dieting. At least the surgery made it possible for me to manage my weight. But I have always thought I had to work a lot harder at this than most people. And just like every other fatty I have been conditioned to always blame myself! There is no way to know for sure.

Buchwald wanted to give me a 100cm CC. I fought for 50. We compromised on 75. So I supposedly have a shorter CC than most of us. IS my CC 75? Who knows. But I have always thought with a short CC I should have had a deficiency here or there. NADA. I believe there is something kinder, more gentle, and less effective, about the way Buchwald did his DS surgeries. My recovery was textbook perfect. Except I didn't lose the weight. For a while I did think that an effortless recovery might be an indicator of less than stellar results long term. My Buchwald DS theories are what led me to add the SF gummy bears to my diet to increase malabsorbtion. There is no way to know if my theories are correct or if I am treating Dr. Buchwald fairly.

I went to Spain with my husband and sister when they had the DS with Baltasar. My sister did have complications and her weight dropped like a rock. She became effortlessly thin. She has gained and lost some over the years but all she has to do to lose is be conscious of carbs for a while. My H doesn't really count because his DS was for diabetes. He was never MO. With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had had my DS in Spain with Dr. Baltasar.

Please tell your friend what I said. I feel sorry for anyone who has the most extreme WLS available and still doesn't lose the weight. I do not think it is her fault!

Munchkin said:

I agree with you completely. My surgeon was Buchwald and he is now retired. I think he is in his 80's. This is just MY opinion but over the years/decades I have run across more than a few of his patients who are just like me. No vitamin/mineral deficiencies, never lost all the weight, and great difficulty keeping it off.

It has taken me decades of extreme dieting to even get close to a normal BMI. And honestly before I had surgery, I did decades of extreme dieting. At least the surgery made it possible for me to manage my weight. But I have always thought I had to work a lot harder at this than most people. And just like every other fatty I have been conditioned to always blame myself! There is no way to know for sure.

Buchwald wanted to give me a 100cm CC. I fought for 50. We compromised on 75. So I supposedly have a shorter CC than most of us. IS my CC 75? Who knows. But I have always thought with a short CC I should have had a deficiency here or there. NADA. I believe there is something kinder, more gentle, and less effective, about the way Buchwald did his DS surgeries. My recovery was textbook perfect. Except I didn't lose the weight. For a while I did think that an effortless recovery might be an indicator of less than stellar results long term. My Buchwald DS theories are what led me to add the SF gummy bears to my diet to increase malabsorbtion. There is no way to know if my theories are correct or if I am treating Dr. Buchwald fairly.

I went to Spain with my husband and sister when they had the DS with Baltasar. My sister did have complications and her weight dropped like a rock. She became effortlessly thin. She has gained and lost some over the years but all she has to do to lose is be conscious of carbs for a while. My H doesn't really count because his DS was for diabetes. He was never MO. With 20/20 hindsight, I wish I had had my DS in Spain with Dr. Baltasar.

Please tell your friend what I said. I feel sorry for anyone who has the most extreme WLS available and still doesn't lose the weight. I do not think it is her fault!

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The conditioning that it’s our fault and it’s some kind of moral failing is just fat phobia! I wanted to see if I might get some better treatment from random medical staff at like ERs when I wasn’t obese but instead I get judgment for having a weight loss surgery. The opportunity to mistreat people is just too tempting for assholey people to pass by which is why we shouldn’t make it easier for them! As hard as you have worked for it you should choose to be DEFIANTLY proud of yourself. I know people get definitely and defiantly mixed up but I mean defiant. So much shame is associated with being overweight and obese and it’s just unnecessary. I am sorry it has been such a struggle for you but I am excited you reached a goal of yours!

I will tell my friend what you said but currently she’s at the “I should just try harder” phase that so many of us go through. That’s hard to get through that mental block.

Webmommy said:

The conditioning that it’s our fault and it’s some kind of moral failing is just fat phobia! I wanted to see if I might get some better treatment from random medical staff at like ERs when I wasn’t obese but instead I get judgment for having a weight loss surgery. The opportunity to mistreat people is just too tempting for assholey people to pass by which is why we shouldn’t make it easier for them! As hard as you have worked for it you should choose to be DEFIANTLY proud of yourself. I know people get definitely and defiantly mixed up but I mean defiant. So much shame is associated with being overweight and obese and it’s just unnecessary. I am sorry it has been such a struggle for you but I am excited you reached a goal of yours!

I will tell my friend what you said but currently she’s at the “I should just try harder” phase that so many of us go through. That’s hard to get through that mental block.

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I hope your friend finds a little comfort in knowing she is not alone!

Your post made me think about his other patients. I know of one 'screaming' success. I actually met him in Buchwald's office waiting for an appointment. He owned a large farm and he was a workhorse of a man. He broke his back in a farming accident and had a long, inactive, complex recovery. He kept on eating like a workhorse and ended up weighing over 800lbs. And of course, his recovery was further endangered by his weight. He had never been fat before his injury. He did amazingly well with his DS. MY best guess is this guy was not a true fatty. He was bored and hurt and used food for comfort.

Buchwald's other success is a woman I know who I hesitate to count as a success because she had a host of other problems that contributed to her weightloss. Before she developed these other issues, she was down to 10 carbs a day trying to lose the rest of her weight. I tend to think her success didn't have much to do with her actual DS. Her other issues were all abdominal and she ended up having multiple surgeries and lives with a very unusual gut.

Too many of the others are similar to me!

Of course there is no way I have had access to all of Buchwald's patients. I wish there was some kind of an index of results that would have let me and other patients find the best surgeon.

Munchkin....Thought of you when I read this passage in Greger's "How not to diet"


"Does that mean you should never splurge, never veer off the path? Self-licensing is dysfunctional if it’s your mind tricking you into stumbling too easily or too often, but it can be useful if it supports long-term dietary adherence. If cheating every once in a while helps you sustain a healthier lifestyle, then it could be beneficial in the long run.3834 The difference is in the design. Cheating isn’t cheating if it’s baked into the plan. Those who prearrange to give themselves a certain number of passes every month to skip the gym or eat whatever they want can do so without deceiving themselves or inviting the wrath of the what-the-hell effect. Because it’s all just part of the plan."

Georgepds said:

Munchkin....Thought of you when I read this passage in Greger's "How not to diet"


"Does that mean you should never splurge, never veer off the path? Self-licensing is dysfunctional if it’s your mind tricking you into stumbling too easily or too often, but it can be useful if it supports long-term dietary adherence. If cheating every once in a while helps you sustain a healthier lifestyle, then it could be beneficial in the long run.3834 The difference is in the design. Cheating isn’t cheating if it’s baked into the plan. Those who prearrange to give themselves a certain number of passes every month to skip the gym or eat whatever they want can do so without deceiving themselves or inviting the wrath of the what-the-hell effect. Because it’s all just part of the plan."

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Took me ages to figure out I can't live with eternal deprivation. Some can and I salute them. I can't. And trying to do that is for me a form of self sabotage. And I don't learn anything about dieting without making the same mistake over and over. And over, just for emphasis. If there is a dieting mistake to be made, I am all over it!

Well my package of gummy bears arrived. 5lbs of delicious little laxative nuggets. Now onward to a lower BMI.

Munchkin said:

Well my package of gummy bears arrived. 5lbs of delicious little laxative nuggets. Now onward to a lower BMI.

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How many do you eat? Do you count the carbs in them in your daily total?

Webmommy said:

How many do you eat? Do you count the carbs in them in your daily total?

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They are SF. The carbs are a sugar alcohol/fake sweetener and no, I don't count them. And I eat 5 or 10 of them a couple times a week. They last a long time.

March 3rd. It is our anniversary. The anniversary of our first date actually. It has been 12 years. Amazing. We are surviving the pandemic together and we still even like each other. For once in my life, I made a good choice. I am not really GOOD at the love, syrup, drip stuff but I did write him a love letter. I titled it 12 Years In The Can. And of course he wrote me one back too. His was better than mine.

Once in a while impossible, unlikely, illogical things work. It was honestly love at first sight. For both of us.

We did our usual negotiating on the celebration and we decided to have a cheat evening. Ice cream and cookies at home and we are going out to dinner. We found a buffet that is still open. It may well be the only one here right now. It is at South Point Casino. My research says you still walk masked from station to station and servers give you what you want. Prime rib and shrimp for $18.95. Not cheap but it seems to be the only game in town right now. So we are going. We will mask and distance properly but we are going.

It's a great day to celebrate life, love, and hopefully the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Will report on the buffet tomorrow.

Munchkin said:

March 3rd. It is our anniversary.

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Happy anniversary

wonderful plan, Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary and enjoy your yummy sounding celebration meal. Tell us all about it!

i hope you enjoyed your anniversary. Your post was very uplifting. A reminder to celebrate and cherish our loved ones. Thanks. I really needed to see that today.